LOUISVILLE, KY - A Kentucky-based organization that provides financial aid to veterans is seeing a spike in the number of requests as the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down.

Officials at Radcliff-based USA Cares told The Courier-Journal that it is now getting about 250 requests weekly, up from 150 calls it used to average each week. Since 2003, USA Cares has provided about $9 million to 9,000 service members and vets.

The organization is one of several donor-funded nonprofits that try to fill gaps for veterans stuck between government programs. Many have returned to find a backlog of Veterans Administration claims and high unemployment rates.

Officials at USA Cares say they expect requests for the year to reach nearly 10,000, which is about 3,000 more than average.